Shelf bracket assembly



Aug. 29, 1967 H. F. KELLOGG 3,

SHELF BRACKET ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. -1,' 1965 United States Patent Ofifice 3,338,541 Patented Aug. 29, 1967 3,338,541 SHELF BRACKET ASSEMBLY Harlan F. Kellogg, Rockford, Ill., assignor to Rockware, Inc., Rockford, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Filed Oct. 1, 1965, Ser. No. 492,196 6 Claims. (Cl. 248-243) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A support member having a plurality of equally spaced slots in its front wall and a bracket having projections extending through selected slots.

This invention relates to a shelf bracket assembly.

It is an object of this invention to provide a new and useful shelf bracket assembly including a bracket having improved means for connecting to a support member.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and useful shelf bracket assembly having a bracket with improved lateral stability without requiring Outriggers.

Still another object is to provide a shelf bracket assembly in accordance with the foregoing in which the bracket can support generally heavy loads without becoming loose in its connection to the support member.

Other objects of this invention are to provide an improved shelf bracket assembly which is uncomplicated in structure, easily assembled, and economically manufactured.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be come readily apparent from the following specification when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a large scale sectional view through the support member taken generally along line 22 of FIG. 1 and illustrating the bracket preparatory to movement to assembled position;

. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken generally along line 22 of FIG. 1 and illustrating the bracket in assembled relationship with the support member; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken generally along line 44 of FIG. 3. I

Reference is now made more particularly to the drawings wherein similar reference characters indicate similar parts throughout the several views. The shelf bracket assembly of the present invention includes a support member, generally designated by the numeral 10, and a bracket, generally designated by the numeral 12. Support member is adapted for mounting on a supporting surface 13 and, in general, includes a front wall 14 and side walls 16 and 16. The side walls each conveniently have a flange, 18 and 18 respectively, for engaging the supporting surface. A plurality of openings 19 are provided in the support member for passage of fasteners 19a to mount the member on the supporting surface. Front wall 14 has a plurality of preferably equally spaced openings in the form of slots 21 for passage of projections of bracket member 12 as hereinafter described. Each slot has an upper and lower end, 24 and 26 respectively as best shown in FIG. 3. It is contemplated that the user may select the slots in which the bracket is to be mounted thereby utilizing the bracket assembly as an adjustable assembly.

Bracket 12 has a generally fiat body 32 adapted to be located in the plane of slots 21. When in assembled position, an end 34 of the body is disposed adjacent support member 10 (see FIG. 4). Preferably, end 34 has two projections 36 and 38 extending therefrom for interfitting with two adjacent slots 21 in the support member. The upper projection 36 has a downwardly extending hook portion 36a providing a face 36b for engaging the back side of front wall 14. When assembled, face 36b is parallel to wall 14. End 34 of the body has a first portion 41 generally opposite face 36b for engaging the front side of wall 14 when in assembled relationship. The first portion 41 is inclined downwardly and diverges from face 36b at an angle generally designated at a. In the embodiment illustrated, angle a has a vertex a and the angle is preferably 530. In this manner, when the bracket is moved into the assembled position of FIG. 3, first portion 41 engages the front wall adjacent slot end 26 and tightly wedges face 36b against the back of the wall.

In the preferred embodiment illustrated, projection 38 has a downwardly extending hook portion 38a and end 34 has a second portion 42 generally opposite the second or lower projection hook 38a. Second portion 42 is in a plane generally parallel to the plane of hook face 36b and the planes are spaced apart a distance approximating the thickness of wall 14. The lower projection hook 38a has an inclined face 38b diverging from second portion 42 at an angle generally designated b. In the embodiment illustrated, angle b has a vertex b and is conveniently 530. Preferably, the vertexes a and b are spaced apart vertically a distance equal to the vertical spacing of slots 21 of the support member and angles a and b are generally equal. When in assembled position, inclined face 38b engages the back of wall 14 adjacent another slot end 26 and wedges the second portion 42 against the front side of the wall 14.

To assemble bracket 12 with 32 is first oriented in the plane of slots 21. Projections 36 and 38 are then inserted through selected slots by moving the body in the direction indicated by arrow 51 (FIG. 2). For this purpose, obviously, the overall height of each projection 36 and 38 is less than the length of the corresponding slot 21. Body 32 is moved in the direction of arrow 51 until second portion 42 and a third portion 43 engage front wall 14 as shown in FIG. 2. At this point, face 36b is disposed a slight distance behind the back of wall 14. The bracket is then moved into assembled position of FIG. 3 by movement downward in the direction of arrow 53. As this movement occurs, first portion 41 engages the front of wall 14 adjacent slot end 26, camming hook portion 36a of the upper hook forwardly until face 36b engages the back of wall 14. In the preferred embodiment, inclined face 38b will engage the back of wall 14 simultaneously with this occurrence. Slight additional pressure will wedge face 38b tightly against the back side of wall 14 and will wedge second portion 42 adjacent the lower portion of the bracket tightly against the front side of wall 14.

It has been found that the engagement of face 36b and second portion 42 with wall 14, and the above described wedging action are suflicient to tightly hold bracket 12 so that it is laterally stabilized. The lateral stability is increased when the bracket is loaded. As best seen in FIG. 1, the bracket 12 is ordinarily cantilevered from the support member 10 and any load thereon, as for example a load at arrow 55, is likewise cantilevered from the support member. Such a cantilever loading will pro vide a. force couple as at arrows 57 and 59 in FIG. 3. It will be noticed that, in the present invention, this force couple is at the points of maximum bearing surface, namely face 36]) and second portion 42. In this manner, any loading on bracket 12 urges face 36b and second portion 32 against wall 14, more tightly holding them in place, and more securely laterally stabilizing the bracket.

It is now deemed obvious that the present invention, including a bracket having improved means for connecting to a support member, provides an improved shelf bracket support member 10, body assembly which is easily assembled and yet provides improved lateral stability of the bracket.

While I have thus described a preferred embodiment of my invention, this has been done by way of illustration and not limitation, and I do not wish to be limited except as required by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A shelf bracket assembly including a vertically disposed support member having a plurality of spaced slots in a wall thereof and a bracket comprising a generally flat body adapted to be located in the plane of said slots, at least two spaced projections disposed at one end of the body for extending through the spaced slots, the uppermost of said projections having a hook portion extend ng downwardly to a point beyond an end of its respective slot in an assembled position and describing a face generally parallel to and engaged with the back side of said wall, said one end of the body having an inclined portion generally opposite said face and diverging therefrom for engaging the front side of said wall when said one projection is in said assembled position and holding said face tightly engaged to the back side of said wall, said one end of the body having another portion below said inclined portion and generally parallel to said face and engaged with the front side of said Wall in assembled position, and another of said projections having means for engaging the back side of the wall in said assembled position and holding said other portion tightly engaged to the front side of the wall.

2. A shelf bracket assembly including a vertically disposed support member having a plurality of spaced slots in a wall thereof and a bracket comprising a generally flat body adapted to be located in the plane of said slots, at least two vertically spaced projections disposed at one end of the body for extending through the spaced slots and each having a hook portion extending downwardly to a point below its respective slot, said hook portion of the upper projection having a face generally parallel to and engaged with the back side of said wall, said one end of the body having a downwardly extending inclined portion generally opposite said face and diverging therefrom at a first angle for engaging the front side of said wall and Wedging said face against the back side of the wall, said one end of the body having a lower portion generally opposite the hook portion of the lower projection and in a plane generally parallel to the plane of said face, and the hook portion of the lower projection having an inclined face diverging from said lower portion at a second angle for engaging the back side of said wall and wedging said lower portion against the front side of the wall.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said second angle is generally equal to said first angle.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the plane of said hook face of the upper projection and the plane of said lower portion of the one end of the body are spaced apart a distance approximating the thickness of the Wall of the support member.

5. A shelf bracket assembly including a vertically disposed support member having a plurality of generally equally spaced slots in a' wall thereof and a bracket comprising a generally flat body adapted to be located in the plane of said slots, upper and lower projections disposed at one end of the body and spaced a distance generally equal to the spacing of said slots for extending through two adjacent slots, each projection having a hook portion extending downwardly to a point below an end of its respective slot, said upper projection hook portion having a face generally parallel to and engaged with the back side of said wall, said one end of the body having a first portion generally opposite said face and diverging therefrom at a first angle for engaging the front side of said wall and wedging the face against the back side of the wall, said one end of the body having a lower portion generally opposite the lower projection hook in a plane generally parallel to the plane of said upper hook face, said planes spaced apart a distance approximating the thickness of said wall, said lower projection hook having a face diverging from said lower portion at a second angle generally equal to said first angle for engaging the back side of said wall and wedging said lower portion against the front side of the wall, the vertexes of said first and second angles vertically spaced a distance generally equal to the spacing of said slots.

6. A shelf bracket assembly including a vertically disposed support member having a plurality of spaced slots in a wall thereof and a bracket comprising a body adapted to be located in the plane of said slots, at least two spaced projections disposed at one end of the body for extending through the spaced slots, the upper of said projections having a hook portion extending beyond its respective slot in an assembled position and describing a face generally parallel to and engaged with the back side of said wall, said one end of the body having means for engaging the front side of the wall in the assembled position and wedging the face against the back side of the wall, said one end of the body having a portion below said last-mentioned means and generally parallel to said face and engaged with the front side of the wall in assembled position, said portion and said face lying in planes spaced apart a distance approximating the thickness of the wall of the support member, and the lower of said projections having a hook portion extending beyond an end of its respective slot in the assembled position and having means for engaging the back side of the wall and wedging said other portion against the front side of the Wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 941,682 11/1909 Knape 248243 1,005,375 10/ 191 l Vanderveld 248-243 1,831,550 11/ 1931 Vanderveld 248243 1,978,636 10/1934 Keil 248-243 2,127,280 8/ 1938 Zimbalist 248-243 ROY D. FMZIER, Primary Examiner.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Examiner.

W. D. LOULAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SELF BRACKET ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A VERTICALLY DISPOSED SUPPORT MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED SLOTS IN A WALL THEREOF AND A BRACKET COMPRISING A GENERALLY FLAT BODY ADAPTED TO BE LOCATED IN THE PLANE OF SAID SLOTS, AT LEAST TWO SPACED PROJECTIONS DISPOSED AT ONE END OF THE BODY FOR EXTENDING THROUGH THE SPACED SLOTS, THE UPPERMOST OF SAID PROJECTIONS HAVING A HOOK PORTION EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY TO A POINT BEYOND AN END OF ITS RESPECTIVE SLOT IN AN ASSEMBLED POSITION AND DESCRIBING A FACE GENERALLY PARALLEL TO AND ENGAGED WITH THE BACK SIDE OF SAID WALL, SAID ONE END OF THE BODY HAVING AN INCLINED PORTION GENERALLY OPPOSITE SAID FACE AND DIVERGING THEREFROM FOR ENGAGING THE FRONT SIDE OF SAID WALL WHEN SAID ONE PROJECTION IS IN SAID ASSEMBLED POSITION AND HOLDING SAID FACE TIGHTLY ENGAGED TO THE BACK SIDE OF SAID WALL, SAID ONE END OF THE BODY HAVING ANOTHER PORTION BELOW SAID INCLINED PORTION AND GENERALLY, PARALLEL TO SAID FACE AND ENGAGED WITH THE FRONT SIDE OF SAID WALL IN ASSEMBLED POSITION, AND ANOTHER OF SAID PROJECTIONS HAVING MEANS FOR ENGAGING THE BACK SIDE OF THE WALL IN SAID ASSEMBLED POSITION AND HOLDING SAID OTHER PORTION TIGHTLY ENGAGED TO THE FRONT SIDE OF THE WALL. 